A New Dawn
by Wolfi-Chan
Summary: Long ago, Nippon disappeared off the map for unknown reasons, and almost nobody remembers this place. Now it's getting close to New Years,and all of the sudden Japan begins to see some strange things that be may have seen when he was a child. What could this lead to?
1. Chapter 1 Part 1

Okalia

* * *

**AN: Yeah, there are a couple Okami and Hetalia crossovers. This ones gonna be a series thought, so I decided to go ahead and try it. This is my very first Hetalia story so I'm a little nervous, but I've watched all 4 seasons, and the movie, and I've played both Okami and Okamiden, so I'm pretty well informed. Since I didn't create them, well, Yeah I don't own either. I hope you like it, even if there are some theories in there. Enjoy anyway!**

* * *

A New Dawn

Chapter 1 Part 1

Eyes Reopened

* * *

It was the coming of New Year's Eve in Japan, where everyone would be at home with friends and family members while some would be at a kind of Celebration during that night. It was so different than before, where poeple would celebrate as one and would sing and dance as if the world would end the very next day. That was Nippon's way of celebrating a holiday such as that one. It reminded Issun that Nippon was no longer part of this Earth any longer. It was forever gone, never to be seen again by this world.

The little ponicle continued on, trying not to think of his homeland at the time. No matter what he did thought, he found this new country called Japan to be shockingly close to Nippon. The similar plants, the houses, and even the couple places untainted by humans seemed to remind Issun the world he grew up in, a more high-tech version thought. He just couldn't understand why it felt so familiar too.

"Maybe the whole world looks kinda like Nippon..." Issun thought aloud, not that anyone paid any attention to him at all nowadays; most though he was a bug and quash him especially more frantically when he spoke. As he carefully walked down the road, also known as the side walk, Issun's artist eyes caught something quite unnerving, something he hadn't seen in years.

No longer was the bright moon, shimmering stars, and overall beautiful sky above him now but darkened clouds with a red tint it, as if they were red with anger. At first all Issun could do was gape in shock as he watched the wall of black clouds cover the sky, leaving barely anything that was present before in sight. "No way! It's been so long, they can't be still around!" Issun shouted, nervous of what might happen next. The 7th Celestial Envoy had seen this several times before and knew that, if he was right, something was going to happen; and it was never all that small.

Yet before he knew it, he was able to catch parts of shadows darting past him and into town. He had to admit he was impressed, very few of those creatures even knew how to be sneaky and silent, let alone organized. It was then that he realized there was something wrong with that particular picture.

He then took a deep breath and raced off in the direction the shadows were going. He wasn't sure he was right, but if he was, he couldn't just leave it unsolved. He breathed a small sigh, "Well... This is going to put a dent in my schedule..."

Much earlier, Japan knew fully well that this was going to be yet another busy New Years once again. As he began to look over the preparations of his own New Years, the Japanese man noticed an old brown volume left out on the table. Stopping what he was doing momentarily, he examined it quietly. It was indeed old, the colour of the cover had been faded very much as well as the pages being tainted by water damage and time itself.

Not too long ago, England had visited Japan's home and Japan did recall the Brit looking through the archives and reading several of his books. "_England-san must've left it there,"_Japan thought. "_I'll put it back once I put it away once I finish this one task._"

Japan didn't come back until an hour later, approaching the table and picking up the old book. The title had been worn away, disabling Japan of what this book was about. A tad curious of what it contained, Japan gently opened the book up and read the first page.

** There was a tale of events that occurred long long ago. A boundless evil known as Orochi descended from the heavens and envelope the land in sorrow and despair. Fire, Darkness, Wind, Water, Lightning, Light, Poison, and Earth. The 8 heads of Orochi sent out evil spirits among the people, and only in death could they find an ending to their suffering; but the white wolf, Shiranui, appeared!**

**During the battle, the wolf called upon the power of the sun. This allowed Nagi to raise his sword, Tsukuyomi, against Orochi. Together, man and beast, they faced this great evil. The battle was both perilous and exhausting, but in the end all eight of Orochi's vile head had been cut off. The people of the land rejoiced at the end of Orochi's dark Reign, and they praised the great god who had saved them. **

**However, Orochi's demise did not spell the end of all evil...**

Japan found it quite intriguing, since he hadn't read it in literally ages. He ended up taking a seat and peering at the next page, forgetting most of the words from this particular volume. Some pages were illustrations of beautiful traditional pictures that described the world or its inhabitants. One that especially caught his mind, one of a white wolf with bright red markings and a disk on top of its back. Soon he found himself caught up in his own folklore, of stories that dwelled within a place called Nippon, centring around Shiranui, the great Okami, and the 13 Gods of the Celestial Brush.

By the end of it, Japan discovered by the clock that he had been reading for quite a long time. Oddly enough, he had gained a slight headache during his reading. As he stood up, book in hand, to take it back to the library where it belonged, Japan could've sworn he heard laughter of some kind. He quickly passed it off, he lived alone for crying out loud.

Once he reached the library and placed the book in its appropriate spot, he turned around only to see a light white glow cloaked around a little boy, who looked back at him and waved before dashing out of sight. Japan blinked once before shaking his head, it couldn't have been a ghost, right? "_No,_ _I must be just tired,"_ Japan thought to himself before going off to retire for the night.

It must've been around 4 in the morning at least when Japan opened his eyes, quickly easing into a sitting position he quietly listened to the sounds coming from beyond his room and, possibly, house. He could easily hear noise and racket from somewhere nearby. This reminded the black haired nation of when Britian, a nation of the west, came over and always seemed to find some unknown people hanging around his home, despite Japan actually living alone. Although this didn't sound much like people but something... else.

Japan felt as if he once knew exactly what it was, like he was only seeing a blurry picture of once was; like back when he was a child. The unclear noises became more and more evident until it was obvious of it being a screeching that relating to those of monkeys.

It was then that Japan got up and strode across the room, dark brown eyes eyeing his most favoured weapon, his Katana, which laid not to far away. Picking it up and releasing it from its royal purple cloth, Japan walked out of his room to whatever awaited him.

At first, there was nothing there, but he could hear something very close, as if it were in his backyard right this moment. Wandering warily outside, Japan noticed that there were no stars or even a moon present in the sky that night, instead it was unnaturally cloudy.

It was then that Japan's headache returned, then suddenly, figures seemed to fade into the scene.

To his surprise, he hadn't been expecting such strange visitors, they were no doubt to be demons. Their hairless green skin looked ugly and gruesome while they wore a mask with a kanji over it to hide their faces along with a hat on top and wearing a fairly modest loincloth.

There was a moment of silence among them all, just for a short moment. In that moment, a void of purple circled them like walls in an arena. Japan was desperately trying to make everything make sense in his mind, comprehending what exactly was going on. When this moment passed, the herd of demons charged. Quickly drawing his blade, Japan prepared to strike back.

Taking out two opponents with ease, the Japanese man glanced behind himself when he heard the short notes of a Japanese flute. Suddenly, this same flute that the demon played, extended. Quickly dodging this strange weapon, the Asian nation turned around and rushed at the beast, striking him down. Japan found himself surrounded by these strange beings, but luckily was very skilled. Though it seemed like many, he continued to cut down his opponents one by one as quickly as he possibly could.

Centre. Left. Dodge. Right. Evade. Left. Within the hour, Japan noticed that he was evading their moves rather than attacking them. Not only that but their numbers weren't dropping at all, not to mention the exhaustion slowly infecting him and weakening him. He was a very talented swordsman, but even he, a nation, couldn't keep this up forever. He also had been forced into the middle of a circle by some kind of energy field, creating a small arena for battle. He couldn't exit, but these beasts were able to appear within the arena with ease.

"What are you doing!?" a small voice cut in through the battle screeches of Japan's current opponents. A small green light suddenly jumped up from its hiding place and onto the shoulder of Japan. Needless to say, the creature looked equally annoyed and shocked. "You can't fight off all of them like this, trust me! I hate this as much as you do but run!" the green light shouted.

Still in shock from these recent events, Japan obeyed the order as if it was from his commanding officer; if anyone knew of what was happening it had to be this glowing, talking, green bug. There was one draw back, there was nowhere to run.

"Where?" the nation asked in a calm manner, only with hints of nervousness.

It became obvious that this little bug did know what he was doing, because it took him very little time for the bug to reply, "See the large crack, hit that and we can get the heck out of here!"

Taking his blade in both hands, as usual, Japan dashed over and began cut through the wall of energy. The demonic barrier was stronger than it seemed, however, which forced Japan to keep slashing to cut through the barrier. The once small crack grew larger with each swing but suddenly something stabbed right between his shoulder blades, piercing through his clothes and digging into his milky white skin. For a moment, his whole body was electrified with pain as if the damage was much worse, like an hot piece of iron burning his skin. Why did it hurt so much thought?

Whirling around again, Japan observed the opponents before him; double the amount of the usual number; six. Just as he did so, the little bug gasped before asking, "Hey, is that a small jade mirror danglin' around your neck, I mean a real one!?"

As Japan struck another blow and evaded two attacks, Japan gave an evident nod, quickly glancing at the green glow on his shoulder then back to his opponents.

It was true, Japan always did wear that pendant around his neck, thought nobody saw it due to him covering it all the time by either his jacket or kimono, it must've been the force of him turning around that allowed it to slip out from the folds of his clothing. It could fit in the palm of someone's hand and had a simple circle design, but it still glimmered as if it were new, despite it being in Japan's ownership for quite a long period of time.

"Look, I know I'm gonna sound crazy, but try to turn it into a weapon by tapping into your being or something like that!" Japan was silent, as usual, he did agree that he sounded nuts though. If it stopped the fight however, Japan considered to be a possible option, especially when the other methods weren't going too well. He knew of a technique that could turn off his own aura, maybe it was possible to reverse that process. Then again, it could fail to a large degree, but he didn't have much of a choice.

Trying his best to both evade the upcoming attacks and put the technique into action, Japan suddenly felt something burst within his aura, something certainly foreign. Then the pendant began to glow a red colour before growing.

Suddenly, a flaming jade mirror, which looked more like a disk, floated before him. His eyes widened in surprise, this looked just like the one in some of the illustrations within the text. He heard the voice of the bug exclaim, "It _was_ a Divine Instrument! I can't believe you've got one!... D-Don't just stand there, you've gotta chance now!"

Hesitantly, Japan reached out and grabbed the rim that was engulfed with flames. To his surprise, the flames did not harm him, streaming between his fingers and around his hands as if they were some sort of illusion. Upon touching it, his traditional kimono transformed into the attire of a red and white samurai attire without the armour; Issun also spotted vibrant red markings on the nation's face so similar to his old companion that he was completely dumbstruck.

Suddenly Japan found himself face-to-face with another demon, coming right at him. Hesitant what to do with a flaming mirror, Japan decided to use it as if it were a boomerang, taking it and throwing it with all his might. To his surprise it did what he wished, as if it were at his command, it stayed perfectly balanced as it went it for a harsh blow to the charging demon, throwing it backwards. Before it came back, the island nation used his sword on closer enemies. It felt almost natural for him to collaborate with the mirror and sword, mastering the art of wielding it in mere moments.

Demons were disappearing left and right, it now seemed like a breeze. Finally, the purple arena vanished, transporting him back to his traditional garden. It seemed there was nothing wrong with the place, but it felt much more off than that. It was then that Japan realized the jade mirror, that the text had called a 'Reflector', was still comfortably held in his hand, while he also noticed his new attire.

Inwardly shocked of these recent events, Japan looked up at the dark red and purple hazed night before closing his eyes and placing a hand right where the red circle on his forehead was and sighed, "What on Earth is going on?"


	2. Chapter 1 Part 2

AN: Sorry about the wait. *dodges various objects, tomatoes, and other objects * I transferred schools and homework is a pain as always, so it was hectic for me. I had to go to some hockey games and a lot of other things have been on my mind. I'll make sure to update in a week, two at the latest unless I notify you guys and say I need more time. I hope you enjoy the next instalment and be sure to read the other AN in this update. Thanks for waiting and enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 1 Part 2

Ancient Matters

_Inwardly shocked of these recent events, Japan looked up at the dark red and purple hazed night before closing his eyes and placing a hand right where the red circle on his forehead was and sighed, "What on Earth is going on?" _

"Well, I can tell you that those demons were out to cause trouble, but how they got here is another story," the little bug reported, "To be honest, I thought that those guys were taken care of already a very long time ago. Oh by the way, I'm the wandering artist, Issun; a Ponacle, not a bug!"

For a moment Japan was a little embarrassed he hadn't been polite to the little bug-er Ponacle. He had a habit of being polite, especially to people he hadn't known for a very long time. "I am Japan. Thank you for helping me in that fight," Japan replied sounding only a little nervous.

Issun looked up at the dark haired Asian nation, just standing there on his shoulder. Being a little less... polite than regular people of his homeland, he asked, "Did that demon hit you a little too hard? Come on, stop messing with me, just tell me your name!"

"That is my name..." Japan replied calmly. It was a little difficult for Japan to sense the mood of the Ponacle with all this dark feelings surrounding them, but he could tell Issun wasn't buying it and was a little confused.

"Okay, I'll take your word for it... That is until you can explain yourself a bit more, right now, we don't exactly have time to talk and sip tea if you know what I mean," Issun replied as he looked up into the clouds.

Japan only followed his gaze to the ominous looking clouds that blocked the beauty of nature from being seen. The world seemed darker, the mood was steeping in the ominous presence too. It was now more than ever that the island nation felt that it was a little more harder to breathe in the air, dully stinging his system each time he drew in a single breath; as if the air was poisoned.

He then noticed that nature was dwindling away as well. Any plants that were in view withered away in mere moments, the trees became sickly, the wind feeling colder than usual, each with a disturbing aura that sent shivers down Japan's spine.

"Drat! This whole place is becoming a Curse Zone!" Issun spoke in frustration.

Hearing the term made Japan nervous, it was an easy term to understand, his whole home could be cursed. "A crused area, correct?" Japan asked backing up his thoughts with facts.

"Yep, you're finally starting to keep up. What we need to do is purify it with a Guardian Sapling but I haven't seen one since I got here. That puts a dent in things." After a couple moments of silence Issun added, "A guardian Sapling is a large sakura tree, it was a symbol that the area around it was healthy. As long as its in full bloom and grown up, it'll keep everything pure."

"I see, it does seem like a problem. Especially because we can't just make it bloom when we wish it to," the island nation stated.

It was Issun's turn to be silent next, for once, due to knowing more things about Guardian Saplings, demons, and so forth. He then noticed that the world was quite intact, nobody was turning to stone as well as dark surges of energy that could harm someone of divine power; the process was slow. That lead Issun to another question, how did a human have that kind of divine power!? Dismissing the question from his head, Issun hopped up and down once before stating, "First things first, we need to find that Guardian Sappling."

Japan, even thought he wished to understand what sort of power these plants had if they could save a place from becoming a Curse Zone, but Issun knew much more than Japan did about these things. It was because of this that it only made sense that he knew what was best in these situations, Japan decided he would ask later. Seeing as the north was more clouded than the south, Japan headed off.

As Japan walked through barren streets, he noticed that there was a dark purple haze that seemed to act like a wall. It was more annoying that it was right in front of them as well as creating a narrow path, seemingly blocking their way. On the other hand, Japan could see the other side through the dense fog. Considering his options, Japan felt it would save time as they searched all around. Trying to take a shortcut was his first mistake.

The moment the Japanese man stepped in, Issun protested to stay away from that place a moment too late. The haze circled and cloaked the duo, but Japan could only see tints of purple and red. Pain erupted from his body suddenly, as if he had been thrown in a furnace, and the air felt like it was choking him. His lips parted, as if ready to scream due to the throbbing pain, before he turned on his heels and bolted out just before any indication of pain came out of his mouth. His muscles instantly relaxed when he departed the haze, taking a deep breath in relief.

"Stay away from that next time..." Issun spoke, but was thinking in his mind of the reaction Japan had given. He had been in pain, there was not a doubt in Issun's mind that he had, but Japan should've been turned to stone when he was completely inside the haze. How strange...

It was after that incident that the duo continued north, this time avoiding any of the haze that appeared in any direction. Soon they ended up departing the town and travelled by dirt rode into the forest. This path looked as if it hadn't had a human walking on it for years and was quite narrow due to this and the haze that seemed to be everywhere.

It was after a good amount of trekking that a large sakura tree came into view among the rest of the landscape. Upon getting much closer and walking through the large red arch that symbolized it being like a shrine, a place of divinity.

Even Japan, the nation himself, was a little surprised by its size, it was as large as a thousand year old grandfather oak he had seen when going to America's home. The only thing that would've made it more splendid was if it was in full bloom; it would be so beautiful, mesmerizing even. At the same time, it looked more old and weak, slowly growing sickly; this oddly made the Japanese man's heart sink a little bit. Perhaps because he wanted to see the flowers, not because of these recent events, right? He hadn't been there for so long, but, perhaps, he had been here a few times long ago.

What broke through the silence was Issun, who called out to the tree, "Hey, Sakyua! What's going on around here!? It's been thousands of years since the last time and those demons have crawled out of the shadows and are back to acting like they own the place!"

At first Japan was going to question the little Ponicle's sanity, but this also could be some sort of very realistic dream he could be having. It was possible since he had fallen asleep before any of this happened to him. The only thing that contradicted that was this feeling, like he was sensing something that made his mind refuse to sleep until it was at peace. Japan had no choice but to continue this strange little quest he didn't understand very well.

Suddenly there was a pink glow along with the sudden appearance of cherry blossoms twirling around this particular glow. The scent of cherry blossoms and the spring drifted into the air, giving tranquillity to all those who allowed the air into their bodies. It felt very relaxing all of the sudden, as if they demons, even the rest of the world, were nonexistent. Within moments, the glow and the petals faded as a woman appeared from this glow.

What Japan saw before him was a beautiful woman, with knowledgeable deep brown eyes and black hair tied into a sort of bun but some of her hair flowed freely in the small breeze. Her outfit reminded Japan of a flower, pink with hints of green made up the colouration of her kimono, though it was a little showy for Japan's taste, it looked stunning on her.

"It has been much too long, little bug, but still as noisy as ever," the woman spoke to Issun with a small smile, as if they were old friends.

While a surprised Japan looked up at the being, Issun acted as if this were completely casual. He leaped off Japan's shoulder and hopped towards the grand Sakura tree to speak once more. The tree spirit spoke first as she drifted down to the Earth's surface and approached the island nation,

"Who is this? It cannot be little Nihon, can it? He doesn't have those markings, they look like Amaterasu's."

"H-Hai. I am Nihon, Sakuya-san. I am sorry but I cannot seem to remember you..." Japan spoke hesitantly with a small bow in order to show respect towards the spirit before raising his head once more. He was too surprised to see a spirit to ask about what she mean by 'markings'.

"Wait, you _know_ him!?" Issun asked with quite a bit of surprise, "Huh... Guess he wasn't pulling my leg after all..."

"I do, but it has been so long since we last met. He was so little back then, he looked as small as I did when Shiranui slayed Orrochi when I last saw him. People like him do exist as well, little bug," Sakuya explained calmly, oblivious to the rageful statement Issun gave over his height right after.

If anything else, those two names stuck out the most, the nation had just reread that story after all; thought the word 'story' seemed like the wrong term at this point. "Orrochi? Shiranui!?" Japan asked, confusion laced into his voice, even more confused and intrigued as well, "I... I don't understand, they are apart of a legend. Please explain what you mean..."

The nation didn't mean to be rude at all, but his land was in the process of being taken over by demons and things that shouldn't be real were standing right before him, it was too much for this time of day. His deepest wish at the moment was to clarify what exactly was going on.

Unfortunately, Issun went onto a different topic, asking about what a "personification of a nation" was. Japan gladly gave him the information he requested, hoping that Issun and Sakuya would share their information as well. After a fairly good description, the trio got back to their previous discussion topic.

"Guess it's okay to tell him about it, I saw everything I needed to see to confirm he's not a normal... nation, right?" Issun spoke, looking over to the Japanese man, who gave a nod. " Hey, just wondering, but if you're Japan, Nihon, shouldn't you know Nippon? I've never see him."

"Nippon... No, I do not think so. It has been a long time, but I am sure that it was China who found me..." Japan answered slowly after trying to think far back in order to figure if he met anyone like Italy's Grandfather or Germany's father, there was nothing he could remember like that.

"That makes sense that there was no Nippon, he is very different from the rest of you," Sakuya replied.

Japan and Issun did not know exactly waht she meant by that so they both waited in silence, both eager to know more of her statement. The wood sprite was glad to give it out as well.

"I remember this from the older trees, in Nippon, there was one Brush God who seemed to provide Nippon with protection, some said that he made up Nippon's power and wealth, just like a nation. Rarely, he was stated to be like the Earth itself, since his powers were unlike any other and were centered in nature itself. These statements were started before I was born to be truly honest so I have no idea if they are true or not. I do know that these powers became the core of the thirteen Brush Gods' powers," Sakuya explained.

The wood sprite did not need to tell them the name. It was obviously Shiranui, the first Okami. This was in none of the legends that Japan had read about, but these posibilities could lead to something more useful. Until they could rule them out, it would have to remain information rather than a rumour. The past had a way of reveiling the future from time to time.

"Okay... I guess that makes sense... What about him!? He can't be one of the Celestial Brush Gods if he's a nation, right?!" Issun asked.

"Maybe... You, however, know more about the Celestial Brush than I or Nihon... Surely you know something," the wood sprite added.

Now the little Ponicle was silent, and slowly began to speak, "Well... They were loosing their powers after those stupid demons came back and made everyone loose their faith in them! You've gotta remember that one, that demon Kaikaku was able to _reform_ Nippon into what Japan know looks like before the Brush Gods took him out. If I remember right he swore he'd form the world like he had Nippon then cover it in Eternal Darkness. Anyway, many people dropped their faith like they were dropping stones, so they decided to change their form a little so they could get some of their strength back... they got a human form. The last thing they said to me was that they knew something was wrong in the future and sent me through the Spirit Gate, and here I am in the flesh!"

"Just a moment, you said that this demon wanted to reform the world, could this being still be alive today?"The black haired man asked. Japan knew this suggestion seemed so illogical, but things seemed far from that. It actually frightened him that a demon could reform a whole island and could still be lurking somewhere. With the nations around, this demon would probably try to kill them like it had tried with the Brush Gods.

"Yeah, but he can't be still alive! I had a front row seat seeing Ammy exorcise Kaikaku so I'm sure of it!" Issun insisted.

At this same time, Japan didn't feel right about any of this, and his eyes fell to his weapons; the katana and reflector. "If Amaterasu was the one to defeat this 'Kaikaku', then maybe that is the reason why they are attacking here in the first place."

"That is possible, since you somehow are able to wield a reflector, which I know that only three wolves can use, much less a nation," Sakuya spoke before turning to Issun, "I think it would be wise if you tagged along with Japan for a while. If Akuma still lives, the whole world is in peril."

"Especially if he has planned this all along..." Issun added, "With the Brush Gods gone and everything... By the way, Sakuya, since Tachi* or Saki aren't around, do you have any more power left to restore the place? If Japan here has Ammy's relfector, and probably her powers too, I gotta hunch that there's a nation out there with Tachi's Power Slash too."

"I do have enough to ward off the evil for a short period of time, I felt it the moment Japan took notice of me in all these years. In order to do so, I must not appear in my current form, otherwise the evil will come again. Nihon, I am placing this on your shoulders. May the _ protect you always," the wood sprite gave one final speech before disappearing once again.

Moments after this happened, the cherry tree changed to a more healthy colour and the world seemed to flourish and transform back into the land the nation knew right under their feet. There was no blooming flowers on Skauya's tree, but even the sky was clearing up and allowing the moon to shine again.

There was the feeling of relief and nervousness with in the nation at this point. He'd certainly bring this up to England next time they met. All that information crowded Japan's brain, it was only until Issun spoke out that he was able to return to reality.

"Look, Japan, I really want to figure on thing out right now so I want you to bare with me. I've got a brush your size and I want to try and bring the sun up by drawing a circle, okay?" Issun spoke casually as if such a illogical theory was real.

Japan reluctantly took this traditional Japanese brush and lifted it, focusing on what Issun spoke. It seemed nonsense up until the point that he felt another foreign feeling from himself and his vision began to melt and blur.

After closing his eyes for a minute and opening them, Japan was surprised to see that the world had completely froze, standing perfectly still. The world had become like traditional paper, a canvas that was much to realistic. Issun was in mid-air even, as if someone were hanging him there by an invisible string. He had done it again, and yet he did not know how he did it or how to stop it.

After a moment of gaining back his inner composure, Japan lifted the brush and drew a circle as he was instructed. Suddenly the world blurred again and the sudden bright light stung Japan's eyes, forcing them shut.

Issun was just as blinded before the light dulled and his eyes adjusted. "No way! You actually did it! At least we know you've got some relation to Ammy, that's something!"

"Hai... It is..." Japan spoke as he shielded his eyes as they adjusted to the morning light. He surprised himself in truth, but if the world was at stake there was more to do than just stand there. He then noticed that his clothes had returned to their normal looks and that the reflector had changed back into the pendant, now dangling around his neck. He wondered if he had done that subconsciously but Issun broke him from his thoughts again,

"Okay, since you know all about this place, we should head off somewhere else. There was some other guy you mentioned, China right? I saw we go and see if that nation knows anything? Sound good?" Issun spoke, using the information gathered and concluding what might be the best for now.

Japan had tensions with China, especially because New Years was one of the few things that he and China both liked and attended when he was younger. Personally, he wanted nothing more than to spend his New Years reading manga and eating ice cream, but this would have to go first; unfortunately.

With a simple nod, the two headed off for the town that morning, yet completely unaware that something had been listening to the entire conversation from the red arch. This creature quickly darted into the shadows, fully intent with reporting every word to its master without fail.

The first step to the world's reformation was just peeking into view and there was much more to come to Japan's home than just one night of struggle, just like the rest of the world would soon see. The dark forces were simply warming up.

* * *

AN: It was more dialogue in this one than fighting, this was planned out like that, but there's gonna be a really good chapter coming out next, which has been in my mind for a while. It'll confirm any suspicions you guys have plus some more interesting stuff and battles especially! Yes, there will be more nation appearing and maybe even some Okami members! Please stay tuned and please review. (Feedback is good! That makes me want to write more faster!)

I will NOT disappoint you in the next chapter!


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Year of the Imp

**AN:**** I am SO sorry for the Hiatus! Life got strange and I had to go on a vacation without my computer! I tried to get this done as quickly as possible, I swear it!**** I've been psyching myself up for this one, since it's pretty interesting in my opinion (I had to do some research in order to make sure it worked!) I hope you enjoy this chapter, btw there will not be any 'part' chapters for a while; if any at all.**

**Also, I have to thank the ones that review since I appreciate reviews.**

**Special thanks to: XaolOwl, heycat9, T3R3Z1Serk8, and TatlTails for reviewing and showing their support for this to continue. This chapter is for you three and anyone else reading right this moment! (Because a writer writes in order for the reader to enjoy reading the chapter.)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia or Okami, no matter how awesome (as Prussia) they are.**

* * *

Japan gave a small yawn as he sat calmly in his seat, his body wishing nothing more than to sleep. After the demon attack in his homeland, Japan and Issun headed off to China's home practically the next day, on a plane to be exact. It didn't truly help matters for the Japanese man due to the fact that he hadn't slept that whole night and would've liked to fall asleep right there on the plane. The reason why he wasn't asleep at that moment was because of last night. It held so many strange things that made Japan try to piece everything together; it was so much so fast! He felt that if he fell asleep, all his questions would be lost, trapped in his mind forever. Trying to not think about sleep at the moment, he took the small jade mirror and traced his finger around the edge, distantly wondering if it would be cloaked in flames by his touch in this form.

He couldn't have been truly honest if he had said that it wasn't surprising that such a small pendant could turn into a divine weapon like it had the night before. For it to grow in size and burst into flames like that was shocking beyond belief for him. Not only that, but he also changed a little himself. The white and red clothes as well as the red markings Issun saw. It seemed he wasn't entirely who he thought he was; Japan, the personification of the Land of the Rising Sun. With this connection to Amaterasu, it meant he was something more to his existence other than being a nation, something unknown to him_._ Everything had been going so fast the previous night that Japan had found himself going over the events over and over in his head.

There was only one person he knew that could at least give him a hint to anything he was wondering; Issun. He looked over to see Issun not to far away from him in the empty chair next to him.

Japan mentally confirmed that Issun was not a fan of being in a plane. He was mumbling about being perfectly fine with the "Moon Tribe Technology" but not an unstable iron bird, or something like that. It would've offended Japan if it wasn't for the fact that America was the one to invent planes in the first place.

Currently, Issun looked like he was debating whether to look out the window or not. It was obvious that he was in a stressful mood at the moment, so Japan tried to distract him with a question, "Issun, is it possible for a whole country to turn into a Cursed Zone?"

Issun finally looked back at the Japanese man and replied, "Oh, that. Yeah, Nippon almost was taken over once before. Only one village called Kamiki was spared from it; Sakuya was around then too to protect it. I guess if that could happen to a place with a bunch of celestial beings guarding it like Nippon, then it could definitely happen to any country, especially without a Guardian Sapling."

Japan instantly tensed his tired muscles, only for the reason of the other countries' fate, including his own. He needed to know the dangers of failing. Since it was obvious that he had a connection with a being who had stopped something like this before, he would most likely be charged with being part of the solution. It was simply logical. "What would happen to that population then?" he pressed on, resuming his calm composer with only slight hints of nervousness.

"They'd turn to stone usually, everything other than people would wilt and die, animals would leave. There was one time that there was a sickness, but that takes a special kind of demon to do that kinda thing," Issun explained, "Why? Is it because you're a nation? Well, don't you worry, Sakuya will keep everything at bay until we can fully restore her!"

Unfortunately, Japan wasn't just thinking entirely about his own country, but his friends' as well. None of them would be able to see it coming, much like Japan wasn't aware of it last night at all until much too late. It had come to his mind to phone everyone and warn them but saying that "demons were coming to curse their lands", would sound a little bit more like Japan had misplaced his sanity, or drank too much sake than being an alert. There was no nation in the world that would completely believe his story; well, maybe, England would, but that was about it.

Issun tone then grew serious, "Since you're connected to Ammy, I can tell you what I really couldn't before."

Japan rose an eyebrow in interest before speaking, "Please continue then."

"Well, I guess I should start off with the fact that Nippon had 13 different Brush Gods, as we called them. You know that ability you used to make the sun rise?" Japan nodded before Issun continued, "That was Amaterasu's power, it's called Sunrise, practically says its power for itself, doesn't it? It's one of the Celestial Brush Techniques. You've already seen how it works so there isn't a use in explaining it. There are twelve others just like it, just with different symbols when using the Celestial Brush with different abilities. Likewise, there are twelve other Brush Gods. I guess since you've got a connection with Ammy, you may be able to learn the other 12 techniques; since Amaterasu was given her abilities by the other twelve so she could become fully restored again. Either way, we want to see how we can obtain them, 'cause we're doomed if we've only got Sunrise to work with. That's the first step: collect all the Brush Techniques so we are ready for anything. Sound good to you?"

"Hai, it does," was the only thing Japan could reply. He was honestly worried for every nation of the world. If nations grew extremely sick or weak due to something like a cursed zone then Kaikaku could easily slaughter any one of them, no matter how hard they fought or how fast they ran. That was truly something to worry about, as well as frightening. To have such an opponent against one nation could be as comparable to a child battling a soldier. Holding onto his pendant tightly, as if he would perish by Kaikaku's powers the moment his fingertips left its surface, Japan's body urged his to go to sleep for the umpteenth time. This time, Japan decided to obey his body.

China's land was a loud on New Years Eve as Japan remembered it to be as he walked down the street. He and Issun had gotten off the plane by morning and Japan decided to spend most of the morning sleeping to replenish his tired body. It was during the afternoon that Japan walked over to China's home, which was equally traditional to his country as Japan was. He stood there for a moment, breathing a sigh as he stared. He never thought he'd come over to China's home during New Years, much less under the circumstances at hand. Issun had apparently made a hobby out of snapping Japan out of his thoughts by yelling in his ear.

"Hello! Japan! Can anybody hear me!?" Issun's voice rang in poor Japan's ears. Japan flinched when he heard such yelling, straight in his ear no less. The Poncle was bouncing up and down on Japan's shoulder, a little bit annoyed. It was amazing that such a small being could make so much racket. "Geeze! You're connected to Ammy all right! You stare off into space just like her!" Issun added in a huff.

"Oh, Ghomen sai! Though I would appreciate that you wouldn't shout into my ears, I'm not as young as I used to be," Japan replied.

"Well, if you don't count cutting corners by going through the Spirit Gate, I'm older than you!" Issun countered. "Anyway, what are ya waiting for!? I thought China found you, aren't you two close or something?"

"No, we are not. We don't get along too well sometimes. It very much depends on what time period you speak of as well," Japan replied. From the time he was in China's home up until this point, Japan liked very much to be independent. He didn't even think of China as his nii-san anymore, if at all. Then again, he may have called China that when he was extremely little, but there wasn't a time that Japan could remember him thinking of China in that fashion.

"Well, I've got... well, I used to have someone like that, his name was Ishaku, he was my grandfather. The old man and I weren't very close so I can relate. Since you're here now, you might as well suck it up and get it over with; I had to," the poncle spoke, picturing his grandfather the last time he saw him as he disappeared into Japan's jacket pocket.

Japan really disliked his companion's reasoning, despite them being completely valid. After a bit of a mental battle in his mind, Japan continued in a marching fashion to the door. He did hesitate before he knocked, however, but it still sounded quite strong.

After a few minutes of silence, the door opened to reveal none other than China. Since his eyes were closed, he began to speak before noticing who it was. "Yes, what to you want-," China asked in an annoyed tone, most likely because of the orders his boss had been giving him, then opened his eye and noticed who it was, "Japan, w-what are you doing here!?" The older nation's eyebrows were raised in surprise. He had expected Hong Kong, Taiwan, Tibet, even Korea to be at the door, but Japan seemed like a long shot to say the least.

Japan really didn't know how to answer. Being it New Year's and all, the island nation felt like the Prodigal Son, like he really was intruding more than anything, a little uncomfortable to be standing there. "I just decided to drop by," the island nation replied, deciding on something rather simple.

"Well, come in! Come!" China urged him was a smile. The Chinese man was pleased to see him, maybe Japan had reverted slightly back to being a little friendlier to him before war changed him; back when the island nation lived with him. Sure, they hadn't gotten along in some ways, but when Japan left China's home and leaving a scar along China's back as farewell gift, China's back wasn't the only thing Japan had scarred that fateful day. China had distantly missed their time during New Year's Eve; but memories for someone as old as himself could be hard to recall if it were that long ago.

Hesitantly, Japan took the offer and entered the home he had once known.

"It has been a very long time since you were last here, as you can see there is some things different," China spoke as he walked a little ahead of Japan.

The home looked like a regular Chinese home, only with the occasional paintings hung on the walls. As the two Asian countries continued on, Japan spotted one strange looking painting.

There was a large scroll-like painting that held a dragon as its centre of attention. It had the looks of a regular Eastern Dragon but held a few strange qualities. It made Japan stop for a moment, eyes narrowed for a moment before widening.

"What are you doing standing there, you look as if you've seen a ghost, aru," China voice caused Japan to flinch as if he was a child misbehaving. The Island nation turned around and approached China, "It was nothing, I just haven't been in here a while."

That was an obvious lie in Japan's mind, but that was given what he had seen. China, on the other hand, gave him a suspicious look before the two continued on.

If it hadn't been for the text he had read, he would've never, not in 4000 years, had seen how uncanny it was. Now Japan understood what Issun had been thinking when they decided to come to the mainland of Asia. Despite the fact that he was used to relaxing on this day, he felt tenser now than throughout the year. Unfortunately, there was no true way to back out now.

China's home was still quite lively during the night, fire crackers going off and scattering bright colours in the darkened skies. He watched them with China for a few hours, as well as Issun as well since the Poncle was hiding out somewhere nearby to watch them, before deciding to eat some of the snacks China set out for the two of them to be alone for a couple minutes. It wasn't a bad way to celebrate New Year's but Japan still wished he was at home. Although, due to recent events, it couldn't bee helped.

There was one thing that stopped his wishing of home, his body suddenly grew more and more tense. It was as if it were coiling up like a spring, waiting for something to allow it to unleash the energy stored inside; it was like his body wasn't being controlled by him anymore. Along with this odd symptom, he felt like he couldn't stand in one place. He felt like he needed to walk, to draw, to run; he felt the impulse to do _something_. Also, it felt a little hard to breathe.

Apparently, a lot can happen in a few moments. Japan found himself not hearing the blasting of the fireworks, but the eerie silence that seemed to bring with it the darkening feeling that surrounded him, making him quite antsy. Something was wrong; he could feel it in his old bones. As he threw himself into a run, his body seemed to be running on divine adrenaline; making him feel younger like the previous night than usually. It came to his realization that his body may force him into his divine form whether he wished so or not; but that was of little concern at the moment.

As he ran out of the fairly large room by the entrance, Japan instantly turned a corner, running through the door frame. He expected China to come into his view and ask him what was going on, even Issun warning him of what was to come. The Island nation, however, did not expect to see the hidden face of a demon to appear directly in front of him.

Japan and the demon both jumped back, obviously catching one another off guard. Once his composure was back, Japan's hand reached the cord of his pendant in a quick motion, ripping it off by sheer instinct alone while the Imp readied itself. He had left his sword at the Entrance hall, meaning his Reflector was his only weapon. Activating it to reveal its true form was as easy as remembering how to ride a bike; once you've done it once, you find it hard to forget.

This time there was absolutely no hesitation in Japan's motions, especially not his swing. It struck the demon hard, sending it back further into the hallway. The reflector was slowly getting faster, coming back to him before the demon even hit the ground, allowing him to get another swing in. In mere moments, Japan had allowed the beast no openings. Once a flower popped up from the floorboards in the exact same place the demon was, Japan whirled around at the noise of movement. He didn't need to be told twice what it was, or if they were people; their aura was enough.

Japan found himself rushed up the stairs to the second floor after them, eyes not missing a bit of movement that was inhuman or any aura that whisked by him. He had an idea just from aura alone of where they even were, which made things twice as easy. Japan learned, however, not to expect such an easy target.

When Japan pinpointed the room they were in and burst in, the last thing he expected to see was three green imps accompanied by a blue one. It had the same general looks of the green ones except for colouration as well as the odd fact it had a kite.

Obviously this new type of demon was important, since one of the imps lunged at Japan the moment he entered. The flute expended instantly, forcing Japan back. This demon seemed to have a way of footwork once it got Japan back into the hallway, a deadly dance formed by the two. As this little annoying distraction continued onwards, Japan spotted a glimpse of what they were doing; they seemed to be searching for something.

This proved to be an error, however, since he felt the jolt of the flute stabbing his stomach and throwing him off balance temporarily. His body tensed, as if he had been frozen in time, before willing his arm to move; his sword creating a clean slice through the beast.

When the imp was finally exorcised, Japan dashed into the room, just fast enough to watch the blue and one green imp launch themselves out the window. There was one thing that caught his attention, it was a bright yellow orb the size of a crystal ball, and it was tucked protectively into the green imp's chest before it leaped out the window. With those two escaped, there was only one imp and a room out of sorts. The demon turned to him and mocked him quite rudely. In response, Japan muttered, "How regrettable." He then exorcised the demon as punishment for its rudeness.

It was after this that Japan inspected the room, it seemed that any drawers that were locked, as well as a decently sized safe, were pried open to reveal their contents, papers and smaller objects were tossed carelessly on the floor along with stone objects and broken glass. Japan proceeded to look throughout the room before he realized, to his displeasure, that the sky outside was uncomfortably familiar as the one when his homeland turned into a Cursed Zone. The dark haired nation raced over to the window to better expect what had happened in such short time. Accompanied by the distant scene of the two demons flying off, the air once again seemed like it was slightly poisonous and the earth seemed sickly again.

What truly made him nervous was when he saw China down below, seemingly propped up against a beam as he laid there, more still than Japan had ever seen him. It was as if death had fell upon the nation.

This was enough to get the only nation that was semi-equipped to handle this situation to bolt out of the room and race downstairs. For a moment, Japan felt like time was being replayed, back when Japan was just a child. Japan would wait at home for China to come back when he went off to fight, usually coming back with countless scratches and bruises. Japan had to admit there that there was a small fragment, a miniature one, of himself that did care if the older nation was alright like he were an older brother.

The world around him seemed to blur as he sped through the building and all but broke the front door. "China-san!" the other male yelled out, hoping to at least see him stir, but he wasn't even given that much.

As he drew closer to his former caretaker, he noticed how pale he was, as white as salt; not even a small bit colour remained in China's face. It was like he was dead. As if the distressed emotions completely controlled him, Japan ran to China's side and forcefully grabbed his wrist to try to find a pulse. Something to show him that this nation was still alive somehow, that the Curse Zone hadn't completely drained him from existence. There was only slight relief when China didn't wake up to the rough movements, but did, however, have a small drumming pulse. It was faint and quick, as if he went into shock, but was there nonetheless.

"Looks like they had the same idea we did," a familiar voice spoke as Issun hopped up to the two nations. "You took pretty long to get out here though, I had to look over your buddy here for a little while; not to mention the flying Imps I saw. I saw something in the green one's arm, seemed pretty important the way they were carrying it."

Japan nearly bit his lip, he had been the one that allowed their escape, but there must have been a reason to enter. "H-hai, that seems likely. We're not, how you say, 'buddies' either, Issun. As for my delay, there were some demons invading the house. I was able to exorcise two of the four. The item you speak of is an orb, if my old eyes aren't playing tricks on me."

There was a short silence before Issun seemed to bounce faster due to anxiety and nervousness, "Wait a sec, you mean to say there was an orb there. What colour?"

Japan wasn't sure how the colour of all things mattered, but the Poncle was more knowledgeable in this topic, so Japan felt like an answer was needed, "A dull shade of yellow."

For a moment Issun stopped bouncing, seemingly dumbstruck in Japan's opinion. "No way..." he murmured, slowly getting louder, "NO WAY! I was right about this too; not that it doesn't make sense or anything!"

The green outfitted Poncle then looked up at Japan and spoke his mind, "Alright, I better tell you my theory now; but I'll make it fast! I was thinking about how you nations seem to be connected to the Earth, which is practically based on the powers of the brush. I was starting to think that maybe, just maybe, some nations were more special than others. You're a perfect example, you've got Ammy's power for some weird reason. Since Ammy wasn't the only being to master the power, being 12 others and all, I thought that the same rules applied to you. It also seemed that the powers of the other 12 were unlocked when Ammy was resurrected, so..." With that the small artist trailed off, allowing the conscious nation to finish.

"When my powers were released, the other nations with these so called 'techniques', like myself, now have the ability to unlock their hidden potential as well?" Japan finished, using the theory's pattern as well as the text's information to confirm the answer. "If that is true, then why is he like this? I surely wasn't when this happened in my home," Japan added allowing himself to try to grasp a new part of this situation. He had none of the qualities in his health that China possessed. If by chance China was a nation connected to a Nippon Deity, wouldn't he be unaffected physically like the island nation?

"Exactly right. When it comes to him, I think it's because his Divine Instrument was stolen. Ammy's reflector was a major part of her resurrection, yours probably is just as important to you; you weren't able to use your true powers until you activated it. I think they're trying to weaken China here even more by corrupting his powers by using his, which could hit him pretty hard. That's a good lesson for you; keep track of yours and make sure it doesn't get stolen by them," Issun concluded before beginning to bounce again, heading for the road.

"Save any questions for later, we've spent way too much time talking to keep going on. We need to get that orb back first then find a way to at least stabilize this place! Bring him too!" Issun shouted back.

"I'm an old man, Issun, this is not very good for me-," Japan replied as he got to his feet once again. Issun seemed to have enough of the "Old man" talk and quickly contradicted him,

"Don't you start with that again! We may need him later, it's not like we can really leave him here when he's like this. What if a demon comes by and decides he'd be a good target dummy or a snack; then it could get worse! It's not like someone else can do this!"

In conclusion, Japan was started to dislike two things: Issun's knowledge on demons, as well as his arguments.

Japan was less than pleased as they made their way through the streets, piggybacking China the whole day. Though China did have feminine features to him, he was still pretty heavy. It wasn't really helping that the smog was beginning to be a true nuisance, blocking their every direction.

Instead of heading away from the source, this time they had to go towards it. This was getting rather annoying for him, exorcising these demons would be a pleasure after all the trouble they caused him so far.

Once they reached the centre, it was easy to see that the town lacked people quite a bit, or any sort of activity. It was as silent as death; this seemed to be the essence all Curse Zones had. The aura around the square was quite unnerving as well, stronger than Japan had felt in his homeland. He was sure it was the centre for two reasons.

The first was his instincts that told him of the dangerous feeling was to appear very soon, along with the rest of the intoxicating, ominous, atmosphere. The second was much more obvious, there were several green and red coloured imps surrounding something as well as they seemingly chanting, though it sounded more like a shrieking choir, as they leaped and jumped. This centre seemed to have a significant feeling of pounding aura, with a slight mix of divine energy trying to blast through the waves of disturbed atmosphere. Something seemed to whisper in his mind that it was nothing good.

Cautious to ensure that he wouldn't be discovered until he wished to be, Japan silently yet slowly got China off his, surprising, slightly sore back; leaning the elder nation against a wall. It was a little close, but they did have to keep an eye on him.

"Look after him, Issun," Japan instructed before dashing into plain sight in order to disturb the ritual.

The world became distorted when the violet walls came and sectioned off part of the street. It was just Japan and the Imps now. Before he could exorcize them, he'd have to retrieve the orb first. Unfortunately it was more difficult as it seemed.

The number of enemies in itself was quite a large quantity, not to mention the different abilities. At first, there was a moment in time where the Imps seemed unsure of the nation, which lead to the perfect opening. With stunning agility, Japan began to cut down the demons using his two weapons. The green imps were as easy to beat as ever, but the red ones, which looked rather similar except for their weapon being a lute, were struck once before holding up their lute as a shield; they also seemed to be more stronger than the demons Japan previously fought. However, once a Red Imp lowered his weapon, the unfortunate creature would find the green reflector flying towards it.

This only lasted for a few moments before a shocking pulse of energy was shot from above, striking Japan's back and forcing the nation to stop his chain of attack, his body trying to fight off the evil aura trying to infect it. It was then that the imps realized the small term of weakness and rushed in for the opportunity to strike Japan down. A red lute moved through the air and struck his chest, forcing a gasp and a step back for the nation. Quickly the band of red and green imps circled him, the blue imps hovering above in the air while the yellow Imps Japan had seemed before had somehow vanished. Each one ready for a swing at their most interesting target. With such a tainted atmosphere, Japan was at a disadvantage. The moment he heard a flute being played, his commanded his body to function properly. Turning around and allowing the reflector to once again take flight and take down the imp, another violet orb fell to the sky and almost forced Japan to his knees. The imps shared a small laugh as the nation struggled to force his body back into movement again.

"Get the orb! Get the orb!" came the small voice that shouted in his ear. It almost sounded like...

"Issun-san!? What are you doing!?" Japan snapped as he attempted to try to cut down another imp and try to get them to spread out. The Poncle was supposed to be with China, not on his shoulder!

"You're a little bit of a newbie ar this and you're not doing so great right now! Trust me, these guys are more interested in you than Mr. Ponytail right now! Just grab the orb first, or at least get close to it! I'll snatch it up if you can get those demons out of our way!" Issun retorted back.

"Hai!" Japan agreed before beginning to attempt to break out of the circle once again. Taking his sword and driving it through a red imp, allowing it to burst into petals, a fellow red imp raised its lute over it head and raced over, ready to send it down on Japan. There was a small flinch for Japan as he prepared himself for another hit, but instead he heard saw something glow dimmly by Issun, then a sphere of red encircled him before the imp was thrown back.

"Gotta love Traveller Charms and Exorcism Slips; they just do wonders on these guys!" Issun commented.

Japan, raced out of the circle, which was beginning to deform as some Imps ran after him, eyes instantly catching the dull shine that bounced off of the orb from the smallest amount of light. As if his life depended on it, Japan's eyes locked onto it and he bolted towards it.

The purple orbs the blue imps rain down by their pipes forced Japan to have to zig-zag in order to keep moving forwards. Somehow, he was gaining speed as he continued to run.

Once close enough, the nation had no problem snatching up China's orb with one arm, a simple scooping motion did the trick. There was a set-back to that, carrying yet another thing resulted unable him to use one arm, being the right arm this time; being unable to use his sword may be a problem.

Quickly, Japan turned on his heel in order to face the demons head on again.

"Issun, do you think you can get the orb to China-san?" Japan asked, glancing at both Issun and the pack of demons coming their way.

"Yeah, but-"

"Please take it and go!" Japan interrupted, a rare moment for him. Then again, it really couldn't be helped when there was this much going on.

If there was any protests from the Poncle, Japan ignored it was he quickly set the orb back down, Issun hopping off his shoulder. The glowing being began to push it, allowing it to roll until it slowed down, then he would continue to shove it again.

Japan watched his little companion for a moment before focusing on the imps, but instead of raising his sword or reflector, Japan allowed himself to reveal the powers of the brush. The world slowed and froze until it was back to looking like a world of art from an old canvas.

This gave Japan some time to think about his next move. There seemed to a good number of imps, so it would have to be something that could keep them all distracted in order to cut down their numbers.

Once ready, Japan pulled out the traditional brush and drew a circle where the sky would be, setting it behind him as part of his strategy. It was then that the Celestial Canvas melted away to reveal the real world.

A bright light shone behind Nihon, who watched all the imps shriek and hold their faces, the bright light reaching their eyes through the paper with no trouble at all. While they were blinded and bumping into each other clumsily, the blue imps dropping out of the sky as if they had been shot, Japan took advantage of them as the sun still shone as close as it had been. It only lasted a couple more moments before the darkness swallowed it.

Japan went to work quickly, exorcising the blue imps first, due to their aerial tactics. Once those few were destroyed, the imps began to slowly recuperate, only causing minor problems for the island nation. With only a few evasions from time to time, Japan was back to seeing them falling and bursting into flowers left right and centre, especially the green imps.

Once they were down to the last couple red imps, Japan felt the ground shook under his feet, as if something were travelling underground. The next thing he knew, a large whole burst through the concrete and a large yellow imp with a drum in its large hands stared at him.

China eyes opened after feeling the vibrations of the earth underneath him. He tensed his muscles easily, despite the fact that before he felt as if he were made of stone. Although it was still hard to move, China didn't take this for granted. It was after a moment that he noticed a glowing creature, possibly a firefly.

"Finally, you've woken up!" the little bug replied, bouncing up and down.

"Aiyah! Wha-what are you!?" China nearly shouted, shocked that it could talk.

"Name's Issun, I heard about you from Japan over there," Issun spoke.

"Japan?" China spoke, trailing off in order to try to find the younger nation. When he caught sight of Japan, he was shocked. There were monkey-like beasts surrounding him, but he was doing a great job of fighting back; both evading and attacking with graceful motions. He looked as if he were wearing make-up to go with the traditional red and white kimono, red markings on his face.

"Look, I know this is probably really confusing but I'll give you the real short version on what's going on. You may not believe it, but it's all true! So listen up!" Issun spoke before continuing his explanation, hoping the older nation would listen carefully and not doubt him.

With Japan, he was doing his best not to be killed by either opponents. The red imps were becoming more easier to exorcise, but the few yellow imps that were present kept disappearing underground; it was like one of America's games, "Whack-a-mole" was it?

Once the last imp fell to the ground, the island nation felt the ground shake again, as it had before. Turning around at the sound of pounding drums, Japan could only turn around before the tempo increased and, with both sticks pounding on the drum in unison, the concrete split and rippled as a mini earthquake erupted from the drums. The dark aura forced Japan into a painful paralysis again when he was too too slow to move out of the way. To his despair, the concrete rose into a sharp surface, pointed right at Japan, who could see it out of the corner of his eye. This was the end...

The next moment, Japan felt an odd feeling, exactly like the Celestial Canvas, which lasted for a second. It was then that Japan landed on the ground, the concrete completely repaired. His body recovering quickly, Japan got up to see the other Asian nation rush out into battle.

China wore red and white, like Japan, only in more traditional clothes than he originally wore. His hair was in a high ponytail instead of the usual side ponytail. The markings on the older nation's face seemed to stand out from his light toned skin. Did he look similar at the moment in his Divine form? The aura of the Celestial canvas appeared again, and the next thing Japan knew, a spear was in China's hand.

"I hope there is more thorough explanation than what the little bug gave me, aru," China told Japan as he joined him with spear in hand.

"Hai, I shall make sure of that," Japan replied.

It was then that the conversation was cut short by the rumbling of the earth being split open again, the burly imp popping out again, watching the two nations in almost a confused manner. It was obvious to see this imp wasn't that intelligent, just like the rest of the imps.

After a moment in its confusion, it raised its drumming stick and began pounding on it once again. This sent out another shock wave that cracked the concrete and rushed forward towards the two nations.

"Jump when the shock wave's closest to you!" cried the little Poncle, once again giving pointers on battle.

Both nations had to strain to hear it, but did as instructed nevertheless, which proved to be a good thing; especially since Issun obviously knew what to do when fighting most demons. No very large spikes of concrete erupted, but when the shockwave faded and when the Asian nations landed on the ground, it took a bit of balance to land but was still more safer than before.

"Is it going to keep doing this?" China asked, summoning his power in order to clear up the streets again. China couldn't help but feel a little tired after that, but continued to follow the other nation.

"It appears so," Japan replied as he continued over towards the centre of the square to get a better view of the surroundings in order to catch sight of the demon.

China, who was slowly getting his strength back, followed the other man's lead. Before any talking could ensue, however, the earth burst directly in between them, both of them taking several steps back. The yellow imp stuck its body out, facing China. On the other hand, it didn't notice Japan in the slightest, shouldn't it be able to feel his aura?

Raising his weapons, Japan began a chain attack on the beast, who seemed stunned at the attack from behind. It was then that China jumped in for the final blow. The dark world around them faded once two other yellow imps came up to the surface and were exorcised by the two nations.

"It appears that the whole city was a battlefield," Japan murmured before speaking up a little more, "China-san, is there a sakura tree around this city?"

China gave a confused look at Japan before he replied, "I think I know where one is, aru." With that, China lead the way to the site of the potential Guardian Sapling.

After a little bit of walking all three members of the party stopped, Issun shocked at what he saw. Japan could recognize the divine charms near the base of the tree, but all that remained was a simple stump. It looked to be a once large tree, but now there was nothing.

"We better fix this thing, otherwise this place is gonna be outta luck," Issun told them.

"It's dead though," China told him, stress in his tone. It did make sense that he had this, since he never knew exactly what it would cost.

There was a possibility that Japan would've said something but Issun replied back, "Nah, Guardian Saplings are tough, there still a bit of life in there. China, you think you could use Rejuvenation and paint a tree where the stump is. Without Saki's power, we can't make it bloom. Once we've got again, we'll cleanse the area of evil."

There was little time that it took, to Japan and Issun it took a second for the stump to transform into a fully grown tree again.

"Aiyah...I-It works!" China exclaimed, surprised that simply drawing a tree would cause this.

"Ha it did," Japan spoke flatly, knowing perfectly well it probably would if their expert, Issun, instructed it.

"Now, I want to know what's going on. I want all the details," China spoke as the world slightly began to brighten around them. Not enough for many to notice, but enough to know that there would be some balance for now.

* * *

**AN: This took WAY too long to write. Then again, it's pretty long. I hope you enjoyed it as well. I also want to explain some things, if you are willing to read it:**

**-China was chosen to be another nation for three reasons: a)closets to Japan b) Dragons are a large part of Chinese culture, so it only makes sense that Yomigami would be connected to China somehow (I had to look through several sights and ask an exchange student from China in order to get this accurate), and c) I needed another nation to appear to show that there are more nations with the power of the Celestial brush, or at leas the heir of it.**

**-When Issun refers to a Brush god, he uses the first part of their name, such as Ammy (which he seems to have a habit of doing), so Sakigami is Saki, as an example. Take any name of the brush god and minus "terasu" or "gami" and you've got Issun's nickname for them.**

**- I am actually open to hearing what nations you want included in this story, especially the ones that are connected to Brush Gods. If you want a nation involved, please place it in your review, and they do not have to be Asian nations. If you want a nation to have a specific power, also type this up, and I mat consider it as being a good idea. (Just don't be angry if I don't use the idea of what power, but I will try to include any characters you guys want in here).**

**So please review, and I'll make sure it'll be a good chapter the next time.**


End file.
